Love - Its Complicated! 26th Mar: Chapter 10 (E) is up on Page 71! - Page 14

CHAPTER 4. NANDINI AND UDAY

22 years in past...

Maan glared at the phone in front of him. Why wasn't it ringing? He folded his arms against his chest and continued to glare at it. Its almost 7 in the morning. Why did not Nandy Bui call till now? NANDY BUI! CALL KARO NA! This was something Maan did every morning since his Bui went to India. It has been two months since his Bui had gone to India and since then early morning at 7 his Bui would call him from whichever city she was staying in and the aunt nephew duo would talk for a while.

Maan pouted. Why wasn't his Bui calling? The landline telephone sat there innocently and Maan felt like the telephone was mocking him. Maan narrowed his eyes. Mock me as much as you want! One day will come when people will find better ways to contact each other and they will stop using you, then I will mock you!

Suddenly, the phone rang making Maan jump up from the sofa he was sitting.

"Nandy Bui!", he squealed out loud as he ran to the phone and picked it up, "Nandy Bui! How are you? Did you see Amritsar like you planned? Is it as beautiful as you thought? Did you see Golden Temple yesterday? How was it? Where are you going next?"

"Arre arre! Calm down my hero! Calm down! Take a deep breath!", came Nandini's voice from the phone and Maan grinned.

"So here are your answers! I did see Amritsar a little but today I am planning to see more! And yes, it is as beautiful as I thought! Infact, it was more beautiful than I imagined. And yes, I did see Golden Temple yesterday? And it was one moment I will never ever forget in my whole life! I love it here Maan! I love it here!", Nandini replied.

Maan grinned. His Bui seemed too much excited today. What happened that has her so excited? Then he shrugged. I am just imagining it. She might have been excited to hear me right? Yup!

And then pouted, "But I miss you! Please come back!"

"Oh my shonu! Even I miss you! But there is so much left to see and so much left to do here! I have to stay here my baby!", Nandini replied.

"Ok! Stay! But I am not talking to you!", Maan huffed out.

"Maan! Don't be like this na! Ok! Can I tell you a secret?", Nandini whispered.

Maan's eyes lit up, "Secret? What? What?"

"We are going to meet sooner than you think!", Nandini murmured and Maan let out a loud shout, "Really?"

"Yes! My Shonu! But it's a secret! Ok? Between you and me? Ok?', Nandini asked and Maan nodded. Then he remembered that Nandini cannot see him and replied in affirmative.

"Achcha! Can you call Veerji? I need to talk him about something important!", Nandini requested.

Maan frowned, "Why? Why do you need Dad to talk about something important? You can talk to me about it too you know!"

Nandini chuckled, "Because this is adult matter beta!"

Maan huffed, "I am an adult too! Have you forgotten? I am ten years old!"

Nandini burst out laughing, "Haaye! My hero is so grown up!"

"DON'T MOCK ME!", Maan shouted.

"Ok! Ok! But please na baby! Call your daddy!", Nandini pleaded.

"Ok! Since you said so sweetly!", Maan said and keeping the receiver down he went to call for his father.

"Bolo Nandini!",his father spoke in the phone as Maan looked on.

His father sat down in the nearby chair and listened to what his Bui was saying. Maan frowned. His father seemed to simply listen only saying hmmm and yes inbetween. What is going on here? Maan watched with narrowed eyes as his father suddenly smiled, "This is good news Nandini! Really good news!"

He listened for a while and then replied, "Of course darling! I will come right away! And I will inform Ma too! She will be so happy!"

They continued to talk for a while and then Maan's dad kept the phone. Maan frowned as he wondered what the matter was. Nandy Bui talked to Dad only on Sundays and today was not Sunday. So what was so important for Nandy Bui that she wanted to talk to Dad today? Maan was very curious right now.

Maan's dad got up from the seat and smiled at Maan. Maan smiled back wondering what got his Dad in such a good mood. His Dad walked by him while ruffling his hair. Maan giggled. Dad rarely did that! Nandy Bui must have given really good news! With excitement Maan followed his Dad and found him hugging Daadima. Maan's eyes met Daadima's confused eyes and both wondered what made Mr. Uday Singh Khurana hug his Mom. His dad pulled away and looked into Daadima's confused eyes, "Humaari Choti choti nahi rahi!"

Maan blinked in surprise. Choti nahi rahi? Is Dad changing Nandy Bui's nickname? Is that what making him so happy? Dad is so weird, getting happy over such a silly thing. Maan shook his head.

"Matlab?", Daadima asked and Maan's dad replied, "Matlab humaari Choti badi hogayi hai! Ma! Nandini ko pyaar hogaya hai! Usne apne liye jeevan saathi chun liya hai!"

"Kya?", Daadima asked as her face transformed with happiness. She grinned widely, "Humaari Nandini ki shaadi hogi?"

"Haan Ma Haan!", Maan's dad replied.

Maan was too confused now and so he decided to butt into the conversation, "Bui is getting married? What is jeevan saathi Daddy?"

His father looked at him and his eyes lit up. He pulled his son close and hugged him, "Beta Jeevan Saathi means life partner! Your Bui found a husband for herself!"

Daadima piped in, "And you will get a Phoophaaji soon Maan bete!"

"Phoo... Phoo!", Maan tried to say the word but he could not, "Phooji... What is that?"

Hearing him mangle the word made his father and Daadima laugh out loud.

"Oh mera puttar!", his father muttered and Maan found himself lift up and then swung in the air. Maan giggled loud.

"Ma! Nandini ne mujhe India bulaaya hai! Taaki main ladke aur uske parivar se rishte ki baat karun!", Uday announced and Daadima nodded.

India? Maan looked at his family excitedly. Does that mean he will meet his Bui soon? Is that why Nandy Bui said we will meet soon? He looked at his dad who was holding Maan in his arms and spoke, "Does that mean we are going to India?"

His dad shook his head, "Nahi beta! Right now only I am going! So that I can talk to your Bui's future family and get the details sorted. Then we will see where to get them married. If they say India then we will go to India for wedding and if they say Australia then we will go with Nandini and visit India after her marriage!"

"Yay!", Maan squealed and just as his father dropped him down he ran off to make his packing list. He had to decide what all things he will take right away. As he ran off to his room, he heard his dad say to his Daadima, "I have to book a flight right away and also plan on making sure that Khurana Constructions is in safe hands in my absence!"

Two weeks passed and once again Maan found himself sitting by the telephone but this time with his Daadima. Nandini continued to phone them till Uday left for India a week ago. And then daily morning like clockwork at 7 a call would come and Daadima and Maan would talk to Maan's father and Bui. But today there was some kind of anticipation in the wait. Yesterday Uday had mentioned of going to meet Nandini's love of life and his family and now Daadima and Maan anxiously waited for Uday's call to know more about Maan's phoophaji or Phooji as Maan called him these days.

The phone rang and Daadima picked it up on first ring with excitement. Maan watched as Daadima asked about the would-be groom of his Bui with excitement. But as the conversation continued, Daadima started to get sad. What happened? Maan wondered. By the time, the talk ended, Daadima was almost in tears. Maan watched with wide eyes as Daadima whispered, "I am waiting for you beta!" and kept the phone down. Maan continued to watch as his Daadima started to sob. Maan walked to her, "Daadima! What is the problem? Why are you crying? Daadima! Say something!"

His Daadima finally looked up and gave him a sad smile, "Problem is my child that both of my children have too big ego and are too stubborn!"

Maan was confused and watched as Daadima continued to cry. He hugged her tightly hoping that his hug would cheer her and she would stop crying. His Daadima hugged him still crying and Maan wondered what actually happened!

A week passed before Maan saw his father again. Maan was doing his homework in the main hall when he looked up and saw his father enter the house.

"DAD!", Maan shouted as he dropped his books and ran to hug his father.

Maan hugged his father tightly but was surprised when his father remained stiff. Why wasn't Dad hugging him back? Didn't he miss Maan as much as Maan missed him?

"Dad! How are you? How was your trip? Why are you back so early? Where is Nandy Bui? And why didn't you or Bui call us after that day?", Maan pelted his father with questions.

Maan was aghast when his father pushed him out of the way shouting a gruff, "Hato raste se Maan!" and stormed off to his room. Maan stared at his father with tears in his eyes. Didn't dad miss me? He blinked trying to not let the tears fall and ran upto his room. Only after he collapsed onto his bed did he let the tears fall.

It was late night when Maan decided that enough was enough. Since his father's arrival Maan had sequestered himself in his room not coming out even for dinner. After dinner time, his Daadima had coaxed him to eat and he ate in his room quietly. When Maan tried to sleep, all he could remember was his father's anger and his Daadima's sad face. He had to know what was wrong! What was wrong with his family? So with determination, Maan sat up on his bed and decided enough was enough. It was time to have man to man talk with Dad.

Maan stumbled down his bed and ran towards the study where he knew his father would be hiding. He was about to enter the room when he felt the sense of dj vu. Because just like last time he decided to have man to man talk, this time too the door was slightly open and inside his Daadima and Dad were talking. Maan decided that this time too he will eavesdrop.

As Maan leaned forward he heard his Daadima speak, "Sach bataao Uday beta! Kya hua tha udhar? (Tell me the truth Uday beta! What happened there?)"

He saw his father shake his head. He was sitting in his usual chair while Daadima was gently carding her fingers through his father's hair. Maan realised that his Daadima was trying to comfort his Dad. What happened in India that Dad needed comforting? Maan was eager to know answers to his questions.

Uday who was hiding his face in his hands looked up and Maan's eyes widened. His dad was crying!

"You already know what happened Ma! Maine aapko phone pe bataaya toh tha? (I did tell you on the phone!)", Uday explained.

Daadima sighed, "Nahi Uday beta! Mujhe vistaar se bataao! (Tell me the details!) I want to know the proper details what happened exactly!"

Maan held his breath. Now he will know what happened in India! He heard Uday speak, "Nandini ne sahi ladka nahi chuna Ma! (Nandini did not choose the right boy Ma!)"

Maan blinked in surprise as Uday continued, "Apne pind ke gunda hai woh! Uska parivar poore gaao pe raaj karta hai! Haryana ka ek chota se gaao aur woh wahaan ka gunda hai! (He is the goon of the village! His family rules the whole village! There is a small village in Haryana and he is the goon of that village!) I don't know how Nandini fell for him Ma! I don't know!"

Gunda? Maan's jaw dropped open. As far as he knew goons were bad! How did his Nandy Bui fall in love with a bad guy? He continued to eavesdrop.

"Poora khaandaan ghatiya hai Ma! Har mauke pe bandook chalaate hain jaise bandook chalaana koi shaan ki baat ho! Nandini ne kya soch ke iss pyaar kiya? Kya use yaad nahi ki aise hi kisi ek bandook ne uski bhabhi ki jaan li thi? Aise ek bandook ne mere Maan se uski Ma cheen li thi? (The whole family is disgusting Ma! At every moment they fire rifle as if firing rifles is matter of pride! What did Nandini think when she fell in love with him? Doesn't she remember that a rifle just like this took the life of her Bhabhi? A rifle just like this took Maan's Ma away from him?)", Uday asked and Daadima gasped.

Maan wiped the tears flowing down his cheeks. He did not know that his mother was killed by a bandook. He swore that he will never allow another person to be killed by a bullet or bandook as long as he was there to save that person.

"Ma! They harass and torture people! They are so medieval! And the boy is the same too! I don't know how could Nandini fall in love with him? I don't know Ma! And I don't know what she saw in him and how did she think that I will agree to this relationship!", Uday was in disbelief and Maan felt the same.

"They are uneducated brutes, that's what they are! They are the type that we used to see in our Villages when I was young. Remember Ma that man who used to beat his wife just for opening her mouth? These people seem to be right up in that league! How could Nandini think I will accept this family as her in-laws I don't know!", Uday continued.

"Mujhe unse milke pata chal gaya tha Ma that they are not right for our Nandini! She is a modern girl Ma! I don't know how she will adjust there! They will frown upon her behavior! They will not like her forward thinking. For then women are supposed to be unseen and unheard! But Nandini cannot even see a puppy in pain, forget about her not raising her voice when some injustice is happening in front of her. And then there was the fact that they are dangerous people! Kisi ka khoon karna inke liye nayi baat nahi hai! (Murdering a person is not something new for them!) I heard that one of the family members even had murder charge on him!"

Maan watched stupefied while Daadima gasped. Murder charge? Oh no! What kind of family Nandy Bui wanted to marry into? Maan could not understand.

"I was so scared for Nandini's safety, I cannot tell you! But when I tried to tell Nandini about all of this, do you know what she did? Do you?", Uday was getting angry, Maan realised. He watched as his father got up from his seat and started pacing around, anger rising on his face. Maan realised he will finally know what got his father so angry that he pushed his own son away.

"She refused to listen Ma!", Uday finally spoke up as Daadima listened aghast, "She tells me she can change them with love! Has she gone mad? We fought Ma! I tried every possible way to convince that she was wrong but she refused to budge. She had full belief in her love for that boy that she refused to listen to her own elder brother! Why Ma? Why?"

Uday collapsed back on the seat and Daadima hugged her son to her bosom. Maan bit his lip from crying out loud. Why Bui? Why?

Finally I gave her an ultimatum Ma!", Uday spoke after few minutes of silence. Maan did not know why he felt as if what he was about to hear next was going to be devastating for him. "I told her to choose us, her old family, or him and his new family!"

"What did she say?", his Daadima asked and Maan sensed the hesitation in her question. She was scared to know the answer, Maan realised. He watched as father spoke, "She chose them!"

The silence that followed was deafening to Maan. She chose them. Just like that, his Bui chose them. Not once did she think about them, about him? She chose them. Maan felt as if his world was crashing. He continued to watch as his Daadima cried out in pain unable to fathom why her daughter chose a man she met few weeks ago over her family.

They remained silent for a while and then Uday spoke, his voice soft as if he was tired, "Forget about me Ma, she chose that man even above her own mother! She chose that man over Maan who cannot even breathe without thinking about her. How can she do that Ma? How can she do that? What was missing here that she chose that family over her own? Why Ma? Why?"

Suddenly, Uday stood up and wiped his eyes. His eyes burned with anger as he glared at one of the photos hanging in the study. Maan looked in its direction and saw that it was of a huge portrait of Nandini smiling at them.

"Isliye maine use keh diya Ma! I told her! She is not my sister! I don't have any sister named Nandini! You got that Nandini? You MEAN NOTHING TO ME!",he roared at Nandini's photo and Maan stumbled back.

Uday looked at his mother with a glare, "You know what she told me in reply Ma? She told me that she also disowns me! My own sister disowned me! Just like that! For a boy she just met!"

Uday took a deep breath, "I have decided Ma! I will honor her wishes! She does not want family? Fine! From now on, I have no sister, YOU have no daughter and MAAN does not have any Bui! From now on, Nandini Khurana is dead to us!"

Maan could not breathe. That's it! Just like that, Bui threw him out of her lives! Just like that! He ran to his room and lied on his bed. He sobbed his heart out. He wanted his Bui back! He did not want to live like this! He wanted to live with her! Maan continued to sob. I just want my life to go back to the way it was before Bui left for India. India! India took her away! "YOU TOOK AWAY MY BUI!",Maan screamed out loud. "Why? Why did you take away my Bui? You already took my Ma away from me! Aren't you happy with that? Why do want Bui too?"

Maan wiped his eyes and spoke with determination, "I swear, I will never step into India unless my family needed me! That place takes away everything I care about! So I will never go there unless my family wants me to!"

Maan continued to sob and soon fell asleep crying.

Next day Maan watched with wide eyes as all the things from Nandy Bui's room were taken outside. He had just come from school holding his homework diary in his hand when he stopped in shock in the living room to this scene. Dropping his bag nearby but still clutching the diary as if it was his lifeline, he followed the servants to where those things were being taken and gasped when he saw that they were all piled up at one corner of the lawn. He was even more shocked when he realised that in that pile were not just things from his Bui's room. It even had pictures and albums. Some he recognized were from study room while some were from Daadima's room. He stumbled back when another servant arrived with the photo frame that he kept on his bedside.

"Bui!", he whispered as he observed the servants' coming and going. He noticed Daadima standing nearby and went to stand by her. He wanted to ask what was going on. But before he could do that, his father arrived at the scene. Maan watched with muted eyes as his father threw in Nandy Bui's college books and novels she collected over the years. He watched as her clothes were thrown in the pile too. Then his father asked all servants to gather and once they did, he ordered them, "From today onwards, no one will say the name of Nandini Khurana! She is dead for us! Got that?" Maan watched with wide eyes as the servants nodded.

Then Uday did something Maan did not expect at all. He turned to pile and lit the fire to it. He even ordered some servants to pour some oil into it so that it could burn better. Maan watched with wide eyes as any and every thing that spoke of Nandini's existence in the house started to burn. It was as if Nandini herself was being burnt. As the pile continued to burn, Uday turned and stormed away, his face showing nothing but anger. Daadima followed suit and the servants too. Only Maan watched the scene. He could not let go of his Nandy Bui so easily. He could not! She may have hurt him but he did not have the strength to let go of her.

Maan suddenly ran to the pile and grabbed two photographs that had yet to burn. They were singed a little on the sides but overall they had yet to burn. Maan grinned as he observed the photo. One was the one Daadima took the day Nandini asked to go to India. It had his Bui pulling his cheeks. And the other was of his Bui and Dad when they had posed at a party. He grinned at the photo tearfully and then placed them in his book to hide them. Then he stood there and cried as every proof that he had a Bua burned in front of him.

And with that ends this chapter! But Nandini's story has not yet ended. We will continue to hear about her but for now lets get back to present!

Next update: Geet has her talk with Naaniji while Khushi and Arnav manage to confuse NK!

So see you all on 31st December, the last day of the year when Geet will come to the conclusion that Khushi is their Happy!

Thank you, take care and have fun,

Kalpana